12 Women a Day Travel to Britain for Abortions
IFPA (Irish Family Planning Association) has welcomed the small reduction in the number of women who travelled to England and Wales for abortion
services last year. Figures released in May by the UK Department of Health show that in 2009, a total of 4,422 women providing Irish addresses had terminations in England and Wales. This represents a drop of 178 on the previous year. IFPA Chief Executive Niall Behan said: “While this trend is a step in the right direction the harsh reality behind these statistics is that every day 12 women must embark on a journey to Britain to access safe and legal abortion services.
These figures are compelling evidence of the need for domestic-based abortion services in
Ireland. The Government’s failure to face reality means that women’s and girls’ rights are being denied on a daily basis. The criminalisation of abortion has little impact on abortion rates; it merely adds to the burden and stress suffered by women experiencing crisis pregnancies.
Since 1980 we know that at least 142,060 women travelled to Britain for abortion services. This figure highlights the hypocrisy of Ireland’s laws on abortion, which are among the
most restrictive in the world.” For more information see ifpa.ie
